Fans of *Assassin's Creed Valhalla* have voiced concerns about the game's extensive narrative and plethora of side activities, and Ubisoft has taken these criticisms to heart in developing *Assassin's Creed Shadows*. The developers have made a concerted effort to ensure that the game's shadows are not only easier to see but also more compact, enhancing the visual experience.
In an insightful interview, game director Charles Benoit revealed that the main campaign of *Shadows* is designed to be completed in approximately 50 hours. For players who wish to delve into every region and tackle all side quests, the total playtime could extend to around 100 hours. This is a notable reduction from *Valhalla*, which required a minimum of 60 hours for the main story and up to 150 hours for complete exploration. Ubisoft's focus has been on streamlining optional content to prevent player overwhelm, aiming for a more harmonious blend of story and side activities. The goal is to offer a less tedious gameplay experience while preserving the richness of the game's world and the depth of its narrative.
This approach caters to both players who value comprehensive gameplay without sacrificing quality for brevity, and those who prefer a more focused story-driven experience without needing to invest hundreds of hours.
Game director Jonathan Dumont shared that the development team's trip to Japan significantly influenced the creation of *Shadows*. The team was profoundly impacted by the scale of the castles, the layered mountain landscapes, and the dense forests, prompting them to incorporate a higher level of realism and detail into the game. "You're still struck by the reality of a place you've only ever read about or seen in movies. The sheer size of these fortresses makes you say, 'I didn't expect this scale.' We came to the conclusion that much more realism and attention to detail were required," Dumont explained.
One of the primary changes in *Shadows* is the more realistic representation of the world's geography. Players will now need to traverse greater distances between points of interest to fully appreciate the expansive landscapes, yet each location will be more specific and nuanced. This approach differs significantly from *Assassin's Creed Odyssey*, where points of interest were often closely packed. In *Shadows*, the journey will take longer, and the world will feel more open and natural, with progressively richer and more detailed locations. According to Dumont, the heightened attention to detail in *Shadows* will allow players to immerse themselves fully in the Japanese atmosphere.
